From Zorro to the Shadow: 10 Characters Who Inspired Modern Superhero Media
Heroes Before Superheroes
Superman and Batman emerged amid the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler and fascism in Europe. In that uncertain period, superheroes offered a response to the dangers of the real world.
Earlier traditions also supplied precedents for superpowered champions. The Epic of Gilgamesh, ancient gods and heroes such as Theseus and Odysseus, along with folk figures Paul Bunyan and John Henry, all anticipated aspects of the modern superhero.
Pulp Stories And The Shadow
Before Superman arrived, larger-than-life adventurers were popular in pulp magazines, named for the inexpensive paper used to print them. Newspaper comic strips also helped test ideas that would later shape comic-book heroes.
The Shadow began as a narrator for a radio show around the start of the Great Depression. Writer Walter B. Gibson developed the character for Condé Nast Publications, and the Shadow went on to star in pulp stories and another radio show centered on him.
Zorro And Secret Identities
Zorro debuted in the 1919 novel The Curse of Capistrano and appeared on screen the next year in a film starring Douglas Fairbanks. The film’s success prompted writer McCulley to continue the character’s adventures for decades; later adaptations included a big-budget version starring Antonio Banderas.
By day, Zorro was Don Diego de la Vega, a playboy; by night, he protected Los Angeles and the surrounding countryside in the 19th century. The secrecy of his double life helped popularize a key superhero convention: the dual identity.
The Phantom’s Lasting Suit
Lee Falk, creator of Mandrake the Magician, introduced the Phantom in 1936. The character was a line of crime fighters based in the fictional African country of Bangalla, with a lineage said to reach back to the 1500s.
Known as “The Ghost That Walks,” the Phantom protected Bangalla and appeared in comic strips, comic books and a 1996 film starring Billy Zane. He was the first such character to wear a skin-tight outfit while fighting crime, a look adopted by many superheroes who followed.
Key points
- Superhero traditions draw on ancient legends, folk heroes, pulp fiction and newspaper comic strips.
- The Shadow’s use of fear and darkness has been cited as an influence on Batman.
- Zorro helped popularize the secret identity through his life as Don Diego de la Vega.
- The Phantom’s skin-tight crime-fighting outfit preceded similar suits worn by superheroes.